128 JS^otes made during a Visit to JVeic York, ^x. 



avenues rows of trees are planted, and upon the grass lawns 

 which intervene between the centre and outer walks, are two 

 large circles of dug ground, planted with shrubs, dahlias, and 

 other flowers. 



The carriage entrances are on either side of the Capitol, 

 and are separated from the grounds on the north front by an 

 iron paling, which runs direct from one entrance to the otiier. 

 The Capitol itself forms the line of separation on the other, 

 with the exception of a short distance of low palisading on 

 each side, which runs along the edge of the terrace. 



The grounds are kept in very neat order by Mr. Murphy, 

 the principal gardener, and, for the amount of labor employ- 

 ed, reflected much credit upon his industry. The walks 

 were clean and well rolled, and the dug circles were filled 

 with earth and planted with a variety of showy summer flow- 

 ers. We will not stop here to say how far this mixture of 

 forest trees and exotic plants is in accordance with our taste 

 for so extensive a spot of ground, and attached to such a 

 building as the Capitol, as we should extend our remarks too 

 far; our object is only to give our readers some idea of the 

 state of gardening, without the intention of fully discussing 

 particular errors or faults in laying out grounds. 



The Garden and Grounds of the President''s House have 

 been a subject of so much discussion the past year or two, that 

 it might be expected we should give some account of a place 

 upon which such extravagant sums are said to have been ex- 

 pended. We fear, however, that any person of any preten- 

 sions to taste, would be sadly puzzled to find in what manner 

 any large amount of money could have been expended. The 

 garden consists of nothing but a plain piece of ground, for- 

 merly quite level, but now made uneven and unmeaning by 

 three artificial mounds. A walk environs the whole, and other 

 walks cross the grounds at two or three points; a hasty glance 

 did not impress upon our memory every particular in relation 

 to them. Very few trees or shrubs have been planted, and, 

 with the exception of a border about ten feet against the wall 

 which shuts out the offices of the house, there are but few 

 flowers upon the grounds. The mounds which we have re- 

 ferred to have been thrown up, and thus remain, without any 

 plantations of shrubs or trees to give a character to the gar- 

 den, or hide the nakedness of these elevations, seeming more 

 like heaps of earth accidentally placed there, and grown over 



